MIKE ZEISBERGER, QMI Agency

NEW YORK -- The sounds of wailing drills and pounding hammers could faintly be heard in the distance as Bruce Boudreau was holding his morning press conference Wednesday.

The Washington Capitals coach probably was secretly hoping the noise was being made by demolition crews turning antiquated Madison Square Garden into rubble.

No such luck, coach.

The construction is part of the $850-million US facelift the self-proclaimed World's Most Famous Arena is going through, a renovation that is expected to be completed by 2013.

Boudreau was making his first appearance at MSG since criticizing the building during an appearance on a Washington radio station Monday. He suggested the Manhattan arena was overrated with cramped benches and dressing room facilities. He also said the building was quieter than the Verizon Center, the Caps' home rink.

When pressed about those comments, Boudreau refused to add any more fuel to the fire.

"You guys are asking this question and it is a non-hockey question," Boudreau said sternly. "There are two teams that are battling their rear-end off every night, hitting and everything.

"With these non-important, non-hockey questions ... I'm not going to talk about it anymore because you blow it way out of proportion."

Imagine that. An opposing coach trashes the arena in the most intense media market in North America (if not the world) and it gets blown "out of proportion."